Floor Stripping Calculator

The calculator applies a compounding factor of 0.85 per layer beyond the first (`baseCoverage * 0.85^(layers-1)`), so coverage shrinks proportionally rather than by a flat number of square feet each time. That mirrors how thicker wax buildup works in practice — each additional layer adds roughly the same relative resistance to the stripping chemical, so the effect compounds rather than adding up linearly.

Concrete's base coverage is only 600 sq ft/gallon versus 800 for VCT because its porous surface absorbs more stripping chemical before it can lift the finish, and that same porosity is why concrete's drying time is set at 3 hours versus 1 hour for VCT — the same open surface that soaks up stripper also holds moisture longer afterward. Both numbers trace back to the same physical property of the material, just showing up in two different outputs.

The base stripping rate is 500 sq ft/hour, and the calculator slows that rate by 20% for each layer beyond the first (`500 / (1 + (layers-1) * 0.2)`), reflecting that more buildup means more dwell time before the stripper can work and more scrubbing passes with the buffer to fully lift it. A job with 5 coat layers takes noticeably longer per square foot than the same floor with just 1-2 layers, even though it's identical square footage.

The calculator uses a fixed 4-coat standard recoat assumption at roughly 2,000 sq ft/gallon per coat, independent of how many old layers you removed, because the number of coats you strip off has no bearing on how many fresh coats are needed to properly protect and finish the floor going forward. If your facility's spec calls for 3 or 5 coats instead of 4, scale the recoat gallons figure proportionally.